In biological and biomedical scientific research, it is commonplace to employ cultivation receptacles in which researchers cultivate cell cultures or embryos intended for study. One very common form of cultivation receptacle is a so-called microtiter plate that typically contains straight-sided cylindrical wells formed in a plate, the latter being of standardized shape and dimensions for locking retention in an analytical apparatus or robotic handler.
In practice, a microtiter plate typically includes an array of microtiter wells set in a grid-like pattern. One well-known arrangement includes 96 microtiter wells defining an array of eight rows containing twelve microtiter wells each. The design of the 96-well plate has become an industry standard format, specified by the Society for Biomolecular Screening.
A microtiter plate is typically manufactured from a transparent polymer such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (“ABS”). The transparency permits researchers to perform various optical tests on cells, embryos or larvae cultivated in the microtiter wells. In addition, microtiter wells are suitable for carrying out numerous tests and investigations that do not involve cell material.
The microtiter wells are open-ended at their in-use upper ends. Electronically controlled dosing apparatuses may be employed to inject each of the wells of a microtiter plate with a culture solution and, e.g., reagents, enzymes or other additives, the effect of which on cells in the microtiter wells it is desired to study.
As used herein, terms such as “upper,” “above,” “lower,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly,” for convenience, are construed with reference to a microtiter well or biological microfluidics chip in its operating orientation, as would arise when a biochip is placed flat on a horizontal surface such as a laboratory bench and the opening of the well is directed upward. It is, however, recognized that in use of a biochip or other cell cultivation receptacle, its orientation may change, e.g., as a result of being centrifuged or otherwise agitated, or by reason of being tilted or inverted as part of an experimental or observational procedure. The terms mentioned, and related terms, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to any particular orientation of the cultivation receptacles, or to any particular mode of use.
The paper entitled “Microfluidic System for On-Chip High-Throughput Whole-Animal Sorting and Screening at Subcellular Resolution” by Christopher B. Rohde, et al., published in PNAS, Aug. 28, 2007, vol. 104, no. 35, 13891-13895, discloses microfluidic devices consisting of flow and control layers made from flexible polymers. The flow layers contain microchannels for manipulating C. elegans, immobilizing them for imaging, and delivering media and reagents. The flow layers also contain microchambers for incubating the animals. The control layers consist of microchannels that, when pressurized, flex a membrane into the flow channels, blocking or redirecting the flow. Animals in the flow lines can be imaged through a transparent glass substrate using high-resolution microscopy.
The listing or discussion of a prior-published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge. One or more aspects/embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more of the background issues.